Threads Triptych
by Sleepwalking Dreamer
Summary: Three drabbles on the young koto player of the Firefly House named Kotori, whose past remains shrouded in the mists and rain that brought her to Yukino’s doorstep years ago. More of her story in Beautybedamned’s Tales from the Firefly House.
1. Introduction and Details

**Threads Triptych**

_By: Sleepwalking Dreamer_

_A Set of Drabbles for Samurai 7_

**DISCLAIMER:**

_Samurai 7_ © Toshifumi Takizawa and Shouji Murahama (based on Akira Kurosawa's _Seven Samurai_)

Seiichiro and Hideaki © Sleepwalking Dreamer

Kotori © Sleepwalking Dreamer & Beautybedamned

Nasami © Samuraiko

_Legend of the Five Rings_ © Alderac Entertainment Group

**RATING: **T

**TEASER: **Three drabbles on the young _koto_ player of the Firefly House named Kotori, whose past remains shrouded in the mists and rain that brought her to Yukino's doorstep years ago. More of her story in Beautybedamned's Tales from the Firefly House.

_For Beautybedamned (Noey):_

_because her music and friendship, __like Kotori's to the people around her,  
__has touched me in more ways than I can ever say._


	2. Threads of Silk

**Threads of Silk  
**_Takes place in Episode Seven of the series_

In the distance, she could hear the sounds of drunken laughter and singing: men willing themselves to forget their sorrows and fears in this time of oppression by seeking the company of beautiful women and a bottle of sake. She was not surprised: it was hard to find genuine friendship when betrayal was more the norm than the exception, and it was usually so much easier, so much safer, to simply pay for the illusion than risk the dangers of reality.

But here, far away from the chaos of the rest of the world, in this inner sanctum of peace and quiet, she could forget what she was, and leave the illusions behind. Here, she was just a woman, in love with a man, and nothing more.

She saw him sitting on the ledge overlooking the twinkling expanse of the city. There was a contemplative look in his eyes; one that she knew meant he was thinking of those days in the past when he had lived a far more dangerous life.

She smiled as she walked up to him, her kimono rustling softly behind her. "You are deep in thought again, darling. If you keep that up, those wrinkles will be permanently etched into your brow."

He looked up at her, and he smiled, the action smoothing out the lines on his forehead. "Ah, there you are, Yukino-_san_."

Yukino sank down onto the cushion next to him, arranging her kimono so that it was not in the way. "I had wondered where you'd gone after that ruckus."

He laughed sheepishly by way of apology. "It couldn't be helped."

"Oh really?" Yukino asked teasingly. "And did you realize that you may have scared poor Kotori-_chan_ half to death, Shichiroji-_sama_?"

Shichiroji blinked, concern filling his features. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"I am here."

Yukino looked over her shoulder, and smiled as she looked at the figure in the doorway: a young woman clad in a fairly simple kimono, with straight black hair that was tucked behind her ears. Yukino stood up, and moved to young woman's side, placing one hand on her shoulder. "Come and sit with us, Kotori-_chan_."

Kotori cocked her head slightly to one side, the milk-white expanse of her eyes staring at nothing - or at something. Yukino could never tell when it came to her. "Do you wish me to play something for you and Shichiroji-_sama_?"

"If you wish it," Yukino replied with a smile as she gently guided Kotori to another cushion not that far away from where she and Shichiroji were, taking care not to bump the beautiful _koto_ that Kotori carried with her. After making sure that she was safely seated, Yukino went to take her place beside Shichiroji again, though part of her gaze was still fixed on Kotori.

Kotori had come to the Firefly House not too long after Shichiroji himself arrived. Yukino remembered it so clearly that she could still smell the rain that had been falling on that day, as well as the way that Kotori had clung to the long metal case that, when she opened it, revealed the most beautiful _koto_ that Yukino had ever seen.

She had been blind already when Yukino met her and took her in, but she could not help but wonder why that was the case. Judging from her movements, she had not always been blind, though she learned quickly enough how to adapt to her new circumstances. Also, the _koto_ hinted at something else, something that Yukino found a little troubling: connections to the Imperial Court, if one were to go by the elaborate _mon_ carved underneath the soundboard of the instrument.

As it turned out, Kotori was a virtuoso with the instrument that she carried with her, and could play it with great skill even though she was blind. When Yukino asked her, long ago, where she had learned to play it, Kotori replied that she had been taught how to play by her mother, but beyond that she would say no more.

The "little bird" - for that was what her name meant - was an infinite mystery, and although Yukino wished that Kotori would speak more about her past, and how she ended up wandering the Village of Respite, blind and alone, with nothing but her _koto_ for company, Kotori never spoke about her past.

A cascade of notes interrupted Yukino's thoughts, mimicking the gentle fall of water into a stream. She sighed as Kotori's magic worked its spell on her - and on Shichiroji. She leaned against him, feeling for his hand with her own, and tangling her fingers with his. She murmured: "Do you think we will ever find out about her?"

Shichiroji shrugged. "I don't know. She's never said a word about her past, though it's easy to tell that she's from the Imperial Court, or at least highly favored there. There's no mistaking that _mon_ under her _koto_, even if she tries to hide it." A small frown crossed his face. "Even her playing style is familiar. I seem to remember it at one Winter Court or another, but I can't put my finger on it."

Yukino squeezed his hand. "Did she run away? And if so, why?"

"I don't know." Shichiroji chuckled, and looked at her. "There are questions even I can't answer, you know."

Yukino smiled teasingly. "Really? And I thought that you samurai were all-knowing."

Shichiroji was about to answer, but Kotori stopped playing then, and murmured: "Someone is coming."

Yukino glanced over her shoulder at the young woman, who was seated straight and stiff, like a deer that has caught the scent of a predator, and she knew that someone was indeed approaching. Blindness might have taken away Kotori's sight, but they had sharpened her other senses almost to the point that she had the hearing of a bat and the nose of a wolf.

She felt Shichiroji stiffen slightly next to her, and when she turned to look, she saw a man standing on the ground just below them, clad in white garments and with his long hair falling in waves all around him.

It was then that Yukino knew that the day she had most feared had finally come: it was time for Shichiroji to leave her.


	3. Threads of Tears

**Threads of Tears  
**_This takes place before the series begins._

In the depths of the night snatches of song and laughter still carried to his ears on the gentle breeze, but they came from the other side of the complex of buildings that was known as the Firefly House. This area - living quarters of the entertainers and geisha who worked in the establishment itself - was quiet, and he knew that it would be easy for him to sneak in there, and do what his mission required him to.

On feet as silent as cat's paws, he entered the building through an open window, and proceeded to walk down the halls, searching for those whom he had to kill, by orders of the man who had hired him. He wished that it did not have to be done this way, without the thrill that came with honorable combat, but he had no choice. He had his orders, and he would carry them out.

The delicate, crystalline melody of a _koto_ carried to his ears, and he knew that he could do nothing but stop, because he _knew_ what that melody was. He had heard it before, and though by the count of years it was not all that long, the memory was misty and almost dream-like, so that it felt as if it had been a hundred years rather than a handful.

At the time, he was accompanying his liege-lord to help make plans for the coming battle, and was supposed to have been focused on listening to the plans that were being drawn up. But he listened with only half an ear and part of his attention, while the other half wandered to the partly open sliding door not too far away.

She had peered at him then, with curious eyes, her form only partly visible through the crack. Eyes as blue as irises in spring returned his gaze boldly, almost _too_ boldly, he had thought back then. The edge of a pale blue kimono embroidered with the _mon_ of the Kakita household slipped through the door, a thick lock of silvery white hair lying on top of it, just so.

He wondered who she was, and then remembered that their host had a daughter, almost of marriageable age, but not quite eligible just yet. Her beauty was marvelous, so it was said, but her true skill lay in the playing of the _koto_, for she had such a fine touch with the instrument that it was rumored that the moment Lady Kotone, her mother, decided to retire from her position as the Imperial Court's most favored _koto_ player, this daughter would take her place.

Her name, so he had heard, was Kotori: her family's "little bird."

The memory shifted, and he was back in the present. He was standing on the terrace now, watching her. She sat at the farthest end, and the sight of her was almost alien to him. She had flowered into a woman since the last time he had seen her, and her hair was now black as the night between the stars. Her kimono was a plain white now, with no _mon_ to show her status. The only thing that remained the same about this picture was the melody she played: a gentle lullaby that, surprisingly, soothed him. He wondered if there was magic in the instrument, or if it was she who held the magic in her fingertips.

She looked up then, and his eyes widened when he saw that the iris-colored eyes that had once looked at him with such boldness through a crack in the door were now reduced to blank, pearly-white expanses that seemed more dead than alive. He wondered what had happened to her, and anger, hot and bitter, surged through his blood at the thought that someone had harmed her.

"Who goes there?"

He quelled his desire to jerk upon hearing her voice. It was rich and womanly, and he sought to compare it to her voice the last time he saw her, but then realized that he had nothing to compare it with, since they had never spoken to each other before.

He remained quiet, and stood still, hoping that she would think that whatever she had sensed was nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

He was wrong. She stood up, and there was a small frown on her lips. "Who goes there? If you wish to stay, tell me who you are. If you do not do so, I will sound the alarm."

He took a small step forward then, laying one hand on one of his swords. If push came to shove, he would draw his blade and force her to remain silent. "You wouldn't want to do that."

She cocked her head then, like a bird listening for something, and then her eyes blinked, long and slow, though she did not need to do so. "Your voice sounds familiar. Have we met before?"

"I doubt it," he replied evenly, and though it was the truth, it was also partly a lie.

"No, I know your voice. I remember you. You were the samurai in the red coat and with twin swords on his back." She smiled slightly then. "Yes, I remember you very well."

It was unnerving, though of course he would never say that. He drew his sword, and placed the tip of the blade underneath her chin, forcing her to tip her head up. "And what are you doing here?" he asked. "It is a great dishonor to your family that you perform in such a place, Kakita Kotori."

Her eyes, he remembered, were quite expressive, but now that they were blind he could not read them. She frowned, but did not try to remove his blade. "You know nothing of such matters. Do not speak of them."

He raised his eyebrow in question. What had happened in the time that he had been away from the capital? What had gone on in her family that she was now blind and serving as an entertainer in a geisha house, of all places? "Why are you here?"

"Why are you?"

Why indeed? He lowered his sword from her chin, and resheathed it. "I am here as a guest."

She cocked her head to one side, and shook it as she turned away, kneeling once again on the silk pillow that cushioned her knees from the hard wooden boards of the terrace. "You lie."

Irritation rippled through him as he narrowed his eyes. "You dare impeach my honor?"

"If you were truly a guest here, you would not have brought your swords in with you, especially not to this part of the Firefly House. The manager would not have allowed it. Also, there was a slight change in your voice when you lied. It was only a bit of change in tone, but I could hear the change." Her fingers reached out, and they plucked once more at the _koto_ strings, playing another melody: simple and uncomplicated, like the world was supposed to be.

He watched her, listened as the tune gradually became more layered, more complex, until it metamorphosed into a song that he had heard at the Imperial Court ages upon ages ago. He closed his eyes, and simply let the music wash over him, taking away with it the blood and the death that permeated his very being. He wore a red coat because it covered up blood well, but he knew that his soul would never be able to cover it up, nor would he be able to wash all of it away.

It was something that he had come to live with, to acknowledge as being part of who he was, but she reminded him that he did not have to, that there were other ways he could take, other paths he could walk, rather than the dark and bloody one that he had chosen as his own.

But he also knew that he had no other choice, for this was the only life he knew how to lead.

He opened his eyes, and watched as she continued to play, the embodiment of a tradition that had begun in her family centuries ago, and that lived in her. It was surprising to find it here in the Village of Respite, and yet at the same time, comforting, because it was a reminder that not all that was beautiful and civilized had died in this age of greedy merchants and greedier Nobuseri.

He proceeded to step back, watching her as she played on. He glanced briefly at the edge of the terrace, and judged that the drop was not too far for him to jump. He looked back at her again, and saw that her head was lifted in his direction, though her hands never ceased to move upon her instrument. "Who blinded you?"

She smiled, and it was so sad that he felt his heart twinge like a _koto_ string. "Myself."

"Why?"

"For honor."

For honor... He could have asked about the circumstances, but he did not. It was a good enough answer by itself, needing no further explanation. So he bowed to her, in the same way that he would have bowed to her had they been introduced so long ago, turned around, and jumped over the edge of the terrace, landing crouched on one knee, before running into the night on near-silent feet. He would come back later to accomplish his mission, but for now, he would leave - if only for her sake.

Had he chosen to look back at the last second, just before he went over the edge of the terrace, he might have seen twin tears leak from her eyes, and drop, soundlessly, onto her _koto_, melting into the strings and into her song.


	4. Threads of Home

**Threads of Home  
**_This takes place between Chapter 51 and the Epilogue of The Sword of the Soul. Also, I make mention of some things that are connected to the L5R fandom, so I will put notes where I think they are necessary._

Laughter resounded in the distance, accompanied by the cheerful clink of sake cups that almost seemed to chime to the tune of the music that was playing to entertain the customers. High above, the moon glowed, an immense orb of pale light, as if happy to be freed from the thick clouds of trepidation and war that had covered it up until recently.

To Shichiroji, it seemed as if every single thing gained a more joyous aspect: the stars seemed to burn more brightly in the sky, the lamps and lanterns appeared to glow most cheerfully - even the fireflies seemed happy, dancing and flickering through the plants in the garden with abandon.

Or maybe that's just me feeling happy, Shichiroji mused as he sipped his sake again. Kambei and Nasami had left a few weeks ago, heading for Kyuden Shiden'issen, and he could only speculate on what had happened during the time between their departure and this night. A small part of him wondered why he hadn't received a message from them yet, but he decided that he could wait. He could only imagine just how busy they probably were, what with Nasami being gone so long from her Clan, and he imagined that her sudden reappearance with Kambei would cause no end of uproar.

"Roji?"

Shichiroji looked up, and smiled pleasantly at the woman who had spoken his name. "You know, the customers must have run you off your feet if you only managed to show up now, Yukino."

The geisha smiled in amusement as she walked over to kneel down beside him, as was her usual practice. "You cannot begin to imagine just how many people there are." Her smile grew wider. "Still, though I might be run off my feet, we are also turning up a very good profit."

"You're starting to sound like a merchant," Shichiroji remarked, his voice mock-teasing. "I'm getting worried."

Yukino smacked him soundly on his non-metallic arm. "Need I remind you that if the Firefly House profits, it only means better things for the both of us?"

Shichiroji laughed. "I remember." He caught Yukino's chin between his fingers, and smiled as he peered into her eyes. "I just wish that we had a moment alone together..."

"Oh?" Yukino's eyes fluttered in what Shichiroji recognized as one of her "geisha tricks," but the tone of her voice told him that her words and emotions were very sincere. "Does Shichiroji-_sama_ have anything particular in mind...?"

Shichiroji smirked, and was just about to answer that question with a kiss when the sound of rapidly pattering feet and of a door sliding open reached his ears, and he and Yukino managed to pull back just before one of the servants poked her head in.

"Yukino-_sama_! There is someone here looking for you and Shichiroji-_sama_," the girl said, the words coming out a bit too fast and a bit breathlessly, as if she had run from one end of the Firefly House to the other just to get to them.

Yukino straightened, and Shichiroji had to admire the way that she could pull herself together so quickly, going from his beloved to the mistress of the Firefly House. "Did they give their names and their purpose?"

"They said that they were from Kyuden Shiden'issen, and that they would only give their names once they spoke to you and to Shichiroji-_sama_."

From Kyuden Shiden'issen? Shichiroji looked at Yukino just as she herself looked at him, and they knew: it was most likely a message from Kambei or Nasami, or both.

Shichiroji smiled, and a fraction of a second later, so did Yukino. By unspoken agreement, Yukino stood up, fixing the fall and flow of her kimono. "I shall go and see to them myself." With one last smile at Shichiroji, she turned, and followed the servant girl to wherever it was that the messengers had been asked to wait.

In the meantime, Shichiroji knew that he had to make sure that these messengers were made comfortable. It was late at night, and they would want a comfortable place to stay, along with a good meal. It was only after he had finished talking to the servants to make all the necessary arrangements that he thought to add one final touch, and with this in mind he made his way to the secluded room that belonged to the young, blind _koto_-player named Kotori.

He found her kneeling on a cushion on the floor, the tortoise-shell finger picks she used to play her instrument flashing gently in the light as she played. He allowed himself to stand in the doorway and simply listen, but at length, he said: "Kotori-_chan_, there is a favor that I would like to ask of you. We have some rather important guests, and Yukino and I would like it if you played something for them later."

Kotori paused in her playing, and lifted her head as if to look at him, but the blank orbs that were once her eyes seemed to be pointed in a direction that was just slightly askew from where he actually was. "If that is what Shichiroji-_sama_ and Yukino-_san_ desire, I would be glad to do so."

Shichiroji smiled, and walked over to Kotori to help her to her feet even as she picked her _koto_ up in her arms. He caught a brief glimpse of the Imperial _mon_ that had been carved under the soundboard, and once again, he was reminded of the great mystery surrounding this blind but extremely talented young lady.

She was a puzzle, that much Shichiroji knew as he walked down the halls next to her, not really to help her, but to make sure that she did not inadvertently trip or stumble. In the time that he had come to know her, Shichiroji knew that, despite being blind, Kotori used her other senses to compensate for what she had lost. Her sense of hearing was second to none, her sense of smell had gotten quite keen, even her sense of touch seemed to be sharper than most. She stumbled still, from time to time, and she made mistakes too, but Shichiroji chalked it up to the fact that she had not been blind for very long.

Her blindness was a topic she didn't seem particularly fond of talking about, or so Shichiroji understood. He had asked her a few times just where she had come from and why she had ended up in the Village of Respite, but she either gave him very vague answers or did not respond at all. After a while, he decided to just let it go, and not talk about it. She would give him and Yukino answers when she felt that she was ready to give them.

They had reached the small room just off to the side of the dining room where Yukino would lead the messengers to for their meal, and he reached out to place a hand on Kotori's arm: a signal for her to stop walking.

Kotori's head cocked slightly to one side. "They must be some really important guests if you are having them dine here, in private, with you and Yukino-_san_."

Shichiroji chuckled. "You could say that." He glanced over his shoulder, and noticed that Yukino was already approaching, leading the way for the two messengers. "You stay here for now, all right? I will have the servants bring you some food and something to drink while you wait."

Kotori smiled. "Thank you, Shichiroji-_sama_. And please, I will only have water to drink. Sake has not agreed with me lately."

"Of course, Kotori-_chan_." After making sure that the servants would bring anything that Kotori would require, he left her to go around the long way and enter the dining room from the main entrance - and stopped short the moment he saw the messengers who had come from Kyuden Shiden'issen.

The moment he saw them, he knew that they were not messengers in the ordinary sense, for one of them wore the _daisho_ at his waist - a sure sign of one who was a samurai. This samurai was dressed in blues and silvers, and his clothes bore the _mon_ of the Crane Clan. He was quite tall, and his long, white hair was pulled back in the familiar samurai topknot, keeping it away from eyes that were as blue as spring irises.

His companion was no samurai, for the scroll satchel at his waist indicated one who was _shugenja_ **(1)**: a master of the elements, a man who could hear the voices of the _kami_. He was dressed in robes of red and gold - a sharp contrast to the clothes of his companion - which bore the _mon_ of the Phoenix Clan. He was shorter than the Crane, and slighter of build, but his intense amber eyes held within them knowledge of things that, so Shichiroji felt, only Kirara and Komachi, being Mikumari, could understand.

Yukino gave him a slightly worried look - apparently she hadn't expected to meet these two either. So Shichiroji took it upon himself to greet them with a polite bow. "Welcome to the Firefly House. I am Shichiroji."

The samurai smiled then, and bowed to Shichiroji - something that rather surprised him. "I am honored to meet you, Shichiroji-_san_. Nasami-_san_ told us much about you, as did Kambei-_san_. I am Kakita Hideaki, and my companion is Isawa Seiichiro."

The _shugenja_ bowed as well. "It is an honor to meet you, Shichiroji-_san_. Hideaki and I have heard much about you from Nasami-_san_ and Kambei-_san_."

Shichiroji nodded, and offered them both a smile as Yukino moved to stand beside him. "We are truly honored to receive such honored guests." He gestured to where the trays of food had been placed. "Please do join us for a meal."

Hideaki and Seiichiro accepted the offer, small smiles of pleasure and relief on their faces. The four of them made small talk while they ate, and it was only later, when the food had been cleared to be replaced by cups of excellent sake that Yukino poured with a generous hand.

Shichiroji felt that now was a good time to bring up the reason why the two were here. "If I might ask, Hideaki-_san_, I would like to know what brings you and Seiichiro-_san_ to the Village of Respite. You said that you were here to deliver a message, but I highly doubt that Nasami-_dono_ would send two such distinguished persons as yourselves merely to deliver a message."

Hideaki smiled. "You are right; Seiichiro and I are on a journey, but just before we departed from Kyuden Shiden'issen Nasami-_san_ asked us to bring this message to you, since she knew that we would be passing by here in the course of our travels." Here he reached for a pouch at his waist, and brought out a small scroll, which Shichiroji accepted and opened.

As the blonde-haired samurai scanned the lines of characters, a smile gradually spread across his face, after which he handed the letter to Yukino, who read through it, and smiled with delight.

"So she and Kambei-_sama_ are getting married? That is wonderful news!" Yukino said with a truly delighted smile.

"Indeed," Hideaki replied, "and a great relief to her parents, I can tell you that. They were so worried that she would never settle down, but apparently, all she was doing was waiting for the right man to cross her path."

Seiichiro smiled. "I always thought that her quest for enlightenment was more a quest to find the love of her life - not that that is so bad, either. Finding true love can be equated to finding enlightenment."

Hideaki elbowed him in the ribs. "You're starting to sound like a Dragon."

Shichiroji chuckled; the easy banter between the two reminded him of how it was with his other companions, four of whom were now dead and buried, their spirits watching over Kanna Village.

"If you do not mind me asking, Hideaki-_sama_," Yukino began as she poured more sake into Hideaki's cup, "what is the reason behind your journey?"

At this, their guests fell silent, the latter staring into his cup with regret and sorrow. At length, it was Hideaki who spoke, and though he sought to keep his emotions in check, there was a harshness behind the words that indicated just how important this journey was to him. "I am on a quest to find my younger sister, and Seiichiro is accompanying me because he is my sister's fiancé."

Shichiroji blinked, and instinct started nagging at the back of his head. "How long has she been missing?"

"For quite a while now... She went missing in those turbulent years immediately after the end of the Great War." Seiichiro's hand seemed to tighten convulsively around his sake cup. "I...was escorting her from Otosan Uchi **(2)** back to Kyuden Shiden'issen after Winter Court. We were attacked by Nobuseri, and try as I might, I could not hold them all back. I was knocked out, and when I came to, she was gone, and the rest of our companions were slain."

"And then Nasami-_san_ went off on her quest for enlightenment, and hence Shujiro-_sama_ refused to let me go and look for her," Hideaki added. "It is only now that Nasami-_san_ has come back that Seiichiro and I am free to look for her."

Shichiroji nodded his head solemnly. He wanted to ask if they were certain that she was even still alive, but then he decided not to. It was too personal a question, even for they who shared a certain bond of kinship because they were samurai.

It was Yukino who came to the rescue. "Well," she said lightly, "such dark and dreary moods are not suitable at all for the Firefly House. Perhaps some music would help lift your spirits? Our foremost _koto_ player would be willing to cheer your spirits with her melodies."

Now Shichiroji smiled as he looked at Hideaki. "That's true. She can play practically anything, you know. If there is a tune you want to hear played, we can send for her and she can play it."

Hideaki looked at Seiichiro, who looked back at him. After a moment of silent communication, Seiichiro smiled - though it was a rather sad smile - and turned to Shichiroji. "Does your _koto_ player know how to play _Hachidan no Shirabe_ **(3)**?"

Shichiroji smiled, nodding. "She does. As a matter of fact, it's one of the pieces I hear her playing most often, even when she isn't performing for anyone." He glanced at Yukino, who smiled, and left the room to fetch Kotori, and returned a few moments later with the young woman in tow.

Shichiroji turned to Seiichiro upon hearing his sharp intake of breath, and when he looked, it seemed as if all the blood had drained away from the Phoenix's face, making him look practically dead, despite the warm radiance of his clothes. In the meantime, there was a soft crack, and when Shichiroji turned to the source, he saw that the delicate sake cup in Hideaki's hands had shattered in his grasp.

And at last, the pieces fell into place for him: the _mon_ underneath the soundboard of Kotori's precious _koto_, the fact that she was reluctant to speak of where she had come from and what had happened to her before she came to the Firefly House, and moreover, her inimitable skill with the instrument she played.

He also finally remembered where he had heard Kotori's playing style before: it had indeed been at Winter Court, and he had been privileged to hear none other than the famous Kakita Kotone perform for the Emperor. Kotori, then, could only be Kotone's daughter: that selfsame child who, it was rumored, had restored her mother's honor by sacrificing her sight.

For a brief moment, Shichiroji wondered how he could have completely missed _that_ particular link in all of this.

It was Seiichiro who moved first. He got to his feet, and moved swiftly towards Kotori, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"Who is this?" Kotori demanded, her arms holding her _koto_ - still in its case - more tightly against her, the wooden instrument keeping Seiichiro's body separate from hers. "Yukino-_san_? Shichiroji-_sama_?" With each name, Kotori's voice rose in pitch, matching the panic that Shichiroji could practically feel emanating from her.

Shichiroji stood up upon seeing the equally confused look on Yukino's face. "It's all right, Kotori-_chan_ - or perhaps I should say, Kotori-_dono_."

Kotori stiffened. "How-?"

"Kotori," Seiichiro murmured, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Kotori, it's me."

Kotori jerked, and the _koto_ slid from her grasp, and would have fallen onto the floor had not Seiichiro drawn away from Kotori to catch it and lay it on the floor a safe distance away. She trembled visibly now, and her hand reached out as if searching for something she thought should be directly in front of her. "It...it can't be... You're dead."

"I'm not." Seiichiro grasped her hand, and pulled it to his face, letting her fingertips feel the features of his face. "It's me, Kotori, really. Remember? You always said you would recognize me, no matter what happened, even if the world was remade."

Shichiroji did not know whether to feel relieved or afraid when he saw Kotori's sightless eyes pool with tears, even as her head bowed to press against Seiichiro's chest. He had never seen Kotori weep before - though it was also true that he had rarely ever heard her laugh. When she did laugh, it was soft, charming: a courtier's laugh, one that emanated from behind fluttering fans in the myriad halls of Otosan Uchi. It was not a true laugh, one that sang from the heart and soul.

"Where did you find her? _How_ did you find her?"

Shichiroji turned to Hideaki, who was looking at him with an intense gaze swirling with emotion. Shichiroji smiled, and nodded to Yukino. "All I know is that Yukino found her on the doorsteps of the Firefly House some years ago. She took her in."

Yukino lowered her gaze to the floor. "She looked so lost and alone. It looked as if she had been wandering the Village of Respite for a long time before she had managed to find her way to the Firefly House. I took her in because it looked as if she had nowhere else to go."

"She never told us who she really was," Shichiroji explained. "I thought that her playing style was familiar, and that the _mon_ under the _koto's_ soundboard pointed to someone who was a member of the Imperial Court, but when we tried to ask her questions she never told us who she really was. She never even gave us her family name."

Yukino nodded. "Had we known who she truly was we would have informed someone who could have brought her back to you."

Hideaki stood, silent, and then a small smile crossed his face, and he shook his head. "No, I think it was for the best that things turned out the way they did. When you took her in, Yukino-_san_, you kept her safe, particularly during these last turbulent days. For that, I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Here he bowed, and Yukino flushed. "I was happy to take her in, Hideaki-_sama_. I couldn't stand the thought of her out in the cold, and so obviously lost."

"It was the right thing to do, and for that, I am eternally grateful." He turned to Shichiroji, and smiled. "Nasami-_san_ and Kambei-_san_ will hear of this when we get back to Kyuden Shiden'issen."

Shichiroji laughed. "I only wish that I'd asked her to perform for them the last time they were here. It might have brought her back to you that much quicker."

"_Onii-san_?"

Hideaki turned, and smiled as he approached his sister. "I'm here, Kotori-_chan_."

"You're not...upset at me for not sending word even if I could?" her voice was childlike, and Shichiroji wondered just how old she really was.

"No, I'm not."

"I didn't mean to worry you or Seiichiro." Her mouth trembled slightly. "I thought that Seiichiro was killed when the Nobuseri-"

"I know. We know." He drew his sister into an embrace, and smiled as he kissed the top of her head with a fondness that made Shichiroji smile. "What's important is that you're alive."

Kotori nodded, and then asked: "Are Yukino-_san_ and Shichiroji-_sama_ still here?"

"You really shouldn't call me that, Kotori-_dono_," Yukino said.

"No, I should. You took me in, and gave me a safe place to stay. Shichiroji-_sama_, you did the same thing. For that, I owe the both of you a debt of gratitude."

Shichiroji laughed. "Your brother already said the same thing. And no more of this '-_sama_' business. It's just Shichiroji now."

Kotori laughed, and Shichiroji was pleased to hear that it was a genuine this time. "All right. But you have to promise me one thing: if you ever happen to be at Kyuden Shiden'issen, please do tell me; I would dearly love to talk to you again and play for you two."

Yukino laughed, and Shichiroji smiled at Hideaki and Seiichiro, who were both grinning right back at him. "You might have your wish sooner than you think, Kotori-_dono_. We were invited to the wedding of Kakita Nasami and Shimada Kambei."

"What? Nasami-_san_'s getting married?" She frowned, and turned to Hideaki, and the accuracy of that action was slightly unnerving. "When did this happen? And who is this Shimada Kambei?"

Now Shichiroji couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing, Yukino joining him in his mirth. "Ah, Kotori-_dono_, there's so much to tell about that..."

* * *

**NOTES:**

**(1) **In L5R, _shugenja_ are powerful sorcerer-priests, far more powerful than Mikumari. I might be going a stretch here (since Samuraiko is more familiar with L5R than I am), but I think that Kirara could have been a _shugenja_ due to her connection to the water _kami_ - something that every _shugenja_ must be able to do, though not necessarily to water alone.

**(2) **This is the name of the country's capital in L5R.

**(3) **_Hachidan no Shirabe_ is the title of a _koto_ piece composed by Yatsuhashi Kengyo, a blind _koto_ player. "Hachidan" means "eight steps," and in the case of the piece it refers to the eight (_hachi_) sections (_dan_), which contains a specific number of bars (26 is the general rule). It is a _sokyoku_ piece, meaning that it was composed specifically for _koto_, and belongs to the _danmono_, or "step-type" compositions.


End file.
